The present invention relates to a hair curler and more particularly to a curler in which a tress of hair is adapted to be retained on a hollow spool by prongs on the adjacent ends of pistons reciprocably mounted in the opposite ends of the spool, which prongs are projected through openings in the spool when the pistons are moved inwardly of the spool.
In curlers of this type, the spool or pistons are usually provided with hair-retaining prongs which, when a tress of hair is rolled onto the spool, catch and retain the tress and possibly extend away from the tress itself into adjacent hair for retaining the spool. In a curler of the prior art type, the spool contains one or more insert sleeves which are provided with obliquely forwardly/outwardly directed prongs which extend out through radial holes in the spool wall so that the prongs form retaining means for the hair tress, the insert sleeve in certain cases being shiftable or pivotable relative to the spool for withdrawal or projection of the prongs through holes in the insert sleeve or in the spool. The combination of prongs and spool inserts of this type does not provide a desirable effect and can entail great disadvantages. While it is possible to retain a tress of hair on the spool by means of the prongs which are stuck through the tress, the disadvantage is that either the curler can be difficult to release from the hair or the curler and the tress are not securely retained so as to prevent the spool from unrolling from the tress.
An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved curler of the type indicated which is substantially free from the above-described disadvantages of the prior art.